1. Field of the Invention
The present invention relates to a heating apparatus to which a command to open the door can be given by voice instead of opening action of a hand operation or a foot operation.
2. Prior Art
Generally, in a use of a heating apparatus, user's hands are occupied in holding an object to be heated when the user wishes to open a door of a heating chamber of the heating apparatus. Especially for a large or heavy heating object, the user must put down the heating object on the table or other stand near the apparatus, to free his hands to open the door of the heating chamber. Then the door is opened by a hand and the user puts the heating object into the heating chamber by again holding the heating object again with both hands. Hence, there has been for a long time a desire to open the door without hand operation or foot operation.
Generally speaking in the heating operation, the door temperature of the heating apparatus rises up to a fairly high level, and so there is a danger of burn caused by an inadvertent touch to the heated door when the user opens the door to inspect heating progress. In microwave heating apparatus, the microwave is automatically cut off by a door switch linked thereto to open at an opening motion of the door. But, even with the use of such measure, it is difficult to prevent a leak of the microwave occurring for a short time between the opening action of the door and the cut off action of the door switch. So it is desired that the door of the heating apparatus can be opened by the remote control operation with the user far from the door.
Recently, studies have been made to introduce recorded voice, letters or words, signs or picture for use in inputting commands to an electronics system, in order to attain easier and more natural interaction between the user and the apparatus. Especially, use of voice are attracting much attention as a most natural communication medium between man and machine, and the use of the voice in the apparatus becomes more and more practical as the semiconductor technology develops by increasing the memory capacity of integrated circuits through higher density integrations, and through the use of the microcomputor as a controlling unit, etc.